The invention relates to a pyrometallurgical converting process for production of a PGM-enriched alloy and to the PGM-enriched alloy itself.
The abbreviation “PGM” used herein means platinum group metal.
In general, the enrichment of PGMs by pyrometallurgical converting is well-known, see, for example, S. D. McCullough, “Pyrometallurgical iron removal from a PGM-containing alloy,” Third International Platinum Conference ‘Platinum in Transformation,’ pages 1-8, The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (2008).
The invention is a pyrometallurgical converting process improved in terms of yielding a PGM-enriched alloy having a considerably high PGM level and exhibiting a remarkably low PGM loss into slag formed as by-product of the pyrometallurgical converting process.